Families call for justice in border deaths

The families of men beaten or killed while in U.S. Border Patrol Custody gathered to call for justice, information in the each case and increased oversight of the agency. Pictured at the podium is Shena Gutierrez, whose husband Jose was beaten into a coma when he was caught trying to re-enter the country after being deported. Also pictured are family members of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas who was tased and beaten by agents and officers before he died and the father of Valeria Munique Tachiquin, who was shot to death by an agent who jumped on her moving vehicle. All of the cases are ongoing.
— Pedro Rios/American Friends Service Committee

The families of men beaten or killed while in U.S. Border Patrol Custody gathered to call for justice, information in the each case and increased oversight of the agency. Pictured at the podium is Shena Gutierrez, whose husband Jose was beaten into a coma when he was caught trying to re-enter the country after being deported. Also pictured are family members of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas who was tased and beaten by agents and officers before he died and the father of Valeria Munique Tachiquin, who was shot to death by an agent who jumped on her moving vehicle. All of the cases are ongoing.
/ Pedro Rios/American Friends Service Committee

Shena Gutierrez, Valentin Tachiquin, Maria de Luz Rojas and Guadalupe Guerrero wished they did not have to meet this way. The four and others who gathered Friday at the offices of Alliance San Diego have shared a common experience: death or injury of a loved one in incidents involving federal immigration authorities.

The families and their advocates characterize these individuals — two unauthorized immigrants and two U.S. citizens — as victims of excessive force and said the cases underscore the scant oversight of Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol.

The lack of details regarding each incident is the source of much frustration among relatives and human-rights activists.

Friday’s meeting marked the start of several days of their joint push for more accountability by U.S. immigration agencies. Other activities include meetings with local officials, a protest Saturday at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and a trip to Washington, D.C., where the group will join about 200 other Southwest and residents along the U.S.-Canada border to talk with legislators.

The visit to the Capitol comes as Congress begins discussing comprehensive immigration reform, including calls for boosting border security and increasing immigration authorities’ openness to the public.

“The issue is getting information on what happened,” said Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, a human-rights organization. “We are looking for clarity and transparency.”

As immigration reform legislation is crafted, Rios and like-minded advocates hope that instead of adding border agents, lawmakers will address concerns about inadequate training, high turnover, the lack of a reporting system for whistleblowers and the communications and trust gap between federal law-enforcement agencies and the communities they aim to protect.

Customs and Border Protection released the following statement Friday: “All accusations of misconduct are taken seriously and are investigated as thoroughly as possible. In most circumstances, after an investigation of wrongdoing, agents and officers were found to have conducted themselves appropriately. However, any CBP agent or officer within our ranks that does not adhere to the highest standards of conduct will be identified, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. Mistreatment or misconduct by a CBP agent or officer will not be tolerated in any way.”

The agency would not comment on specific cases.

Alliance San Diego has focused on cases of alleged excessive force since the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernadez Rojas, a 42-year-old father of five from Encanto. He was tased and beaten at the San Ysidro border crossing while being deported for a second time in several days. The county medical examiner listed the death as a homicide, but said the cause was unclear.

His case became the subject of a national documentary that revealed cellphone video showing that he was hog-tied and lying on the ground screaming for help as he was kicked and tased.

A grand jury was convened to hear evidence in the Hernandez Rojas case; the outcome of that proceeding has not been released. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General said it would review Customs and Border Protection’s use-of-force policies this year. That decision stemmed from questions about the agency’s involvement in 19 deaths since 2010.